For years now, if a gamer wanted to play a squad-based tactical game with a sci-fi theme involving an alien invasion, the only real option was the games in the XCOM franchise. However, in late April 2020, gamers were given another option – Gears Tactics. This is an offshoot of the Gears of Wars franchise; whose games have been traditionally third-person shooters.
The release of Gears Tactics immediately caused gamers to begin comparing the two franchises in an attempt to declare one better than the other. Did Gears Tactics dethrone the king, or is the XCOM franchise still the best of the sci-fi squad-based, tactical/strategy genre?
10 XCOM – Base Building
XCOM wins this category easily – mainly because Gears Tactics doesn’t feature a base building aspect. Anyone who has played the rebooted XCOM series, then started playing Gears Tactics will immediately notice the lack of a base building game-mechanic. The base building in XCOM adds a secondary strategic layer to the game. Players need to add new rooms to their base in advance of needs, and the rooms help increase the effectiveness of XCOM soldiers and staff. It will probably not surprise gamers if future Gears Tactics games include a base building aspect – it will probably be expected.
9 Gears Tactics – Area Maps
The area maps in XCOM, where fights take place, begin to feel a little “samey” after a while. They are cut-and-paste environments with little to offer. The area maps in Gears Tactics have a lot more depth and detail to them. Another positive about the maps in Gear Tactics is the lack of a reliance on a grid system. Granted, most players will end their soldiers’ movements behind cover anyway, but not having a grid system allows for more precise placement of troops. This precise movement opens up opportunities like being able to end a turn in an opponent’s blind spot.
8 XCOM – The “Struggle”
When players start an XCOM game they only have a handful of fresh soldiers who feel unprepared for the mission ahead of them. As a player progresses through the game it seems like every advance in technology or newly available resource is countered by some new weapon in the alien’s arsenal.
This serves to give players the feeling of always being one step behind their enemy; which helps heighten the tension. Gears Tactics starts the player with a group of soldiers that can seemingly dispatch hordes of alien soldiers with ease.
7 Gears Tactics – Better Weapons & Armor
Weapons in the XCOM games are odd in that they are important, but also don’t really add anything to the game. They have names that reflect their purpose; Sniper Rifle, Grenade Launcher, and Sword are just a few examples. The weapons in Gears Tactics have names with a little more flare to them, like the Hammer of Dawn weapon that calls down a strike from a satellite. Gears Tactics has fewer weapons, but the weapons have more variety via the game’s modding system. Armor can be modded in Gears Tactics also- unlike in the XCOM games.
6 XCOM – No Friendly Fire
It seems simple, but not allowing “friendly fire” really helps keeps the game flowing. Soldiers can accidentally shoot their squad-mates in Gears Tactics; this can end a mission instantly if one of the main characters is accidentally killed. It makes the XCOM games slightly less realistic, but it’s not an omission that particularly gives the feeling of being less realistic. Disallowing friendly fire makes soldiers on overwatch more reliable at providing cover. No doubt thousands of hours have already been wasted by gamers who have had to restart a mission because one of their soldiers shot a character who’s necessary for the plot to continue.
5 Gears Tactics – Tactical Options
When it comes to tactical options on the battlefield, Gears Tactics is better than XCOM 2. Both use the AP (action point) system. Soldiers basically have a set number of action points with which to perform actions. Moving a set distance, using a weapon, or activating a special ability typically cost one AP. Sometimes there are restrictions, like not being able to fire a heavy weapon after moving. Gears Tactics gives each soldier three APs, as opposed to XCOM’s two. The overwatch action is also much, much better in Gears Tactics.
4 XCOM – Research
One of the best aspects of the XCOM games, going back to the first title, is the ability to salvage and examine alien technology. Advancing through the research tree not only unlocks newer weapons, armor, base facilities, and tools, it was also the vehicle through which players advanced the story.
Completing research on a new piece of technology gives players a sense of being one step closer to winning the war against the alien invaders. Gears Tactics doesn’t have a research system, and instead uses a more character driven system for story advancement.
3 Gears Tactics – Character Options
In the modern XCOM games, soldiers get new abilities when they advance in level (rank). This “perk” system works well, but characters can go from weak to overpowered after advancing only one rank. Gears Tactics uses a similar system, but the number of perks is greatly increased over what XCOM offers. The perks in Gears Tactics are not only more numerous, they also allow for more varied tactical options on the battlefield. This helps soldiers seem more unique and allows players to make soldiers more suited to a specific task or tactic.
2 XCOM – Better Replayability
The character-driven story in Gears Tactics is more compelling, and allows for voiced characters whose banter is amusing at times. For a player’s first play-through, this method of storytelling allows for a more interesting narrative, but the player will already know the story on subsequent play-throughs. In XCOM, each game is different. The soldiers will be different, the player can build their base in a different country, and the locations under attack will be different. Additionally, a player could focus on different avenues of research and technology (or psionics) than in previous playthroughs. This makes XCOM infinitely more replayable.
1 Gears Tactics – Boss Battles
If there is one aspect of Gears Tactics that is obviously better than the XCOM games, it’s the boss battles. XCOM doesn’t really have boss battles; there is a final engagement against stronger enemies than those normally encountered, but that’s not really a “boss battle”. Occasionally, players in Gears Tactics will find themselves facing an enormous creature that towers over the battlefield. Defeating these gigantic boss creatures gives players an immediate sense of accomplishment that is sometimes lacking in the XCOM games. These boss battles also really help break up the monotony of fighting the same alien soldiers over and over – which is a problem from which the XCOM games suffer on occasion.